PERFORMANCES BEGIN JANUARY 31, 2012OPENING NIGHT SET FOR MARCH 1, 2012

New York, NY – MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced The Carrie Anticipation Contest: Why Are You Excited About Carrie?. Theater fans all around the world are encouraged to submit a video explaining why they are excited for what is shaping up to be the most anticipated theatrical event of the season: MCC’s upcoming production of Carrie. From all the submitted videos, one winner will win a pair of VIP tickets to MCC Theater’s Opening Night performance and after-party on March 1, 2012. To enter the contest, to view other entries (including one by stage and screen star Jonathan Groff), visit http://www.mcctheater.org.

Also, today, tickets for MCC Theater’s “$20 Under 30” program go on-sale for Carrie at 12 p.m. A limited number of $20 tickets will be on sale for theatergoers aged 29 years younger. Ticket buyers will need to prove their eligibility with valid, government issued ID, and be 29 years old or younger on the date of their chosen performance. Go to http://www.mcctheater.org/20under30.html for more information.

The newly reworked and fully re-imagined production of Carrie, the musical features music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford (Academy Award winning composer and lyricist for the original film Fame) and a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (who also adapted the 1974 novel by Stephen King for the 1976 Brian DePalma film). Directed by Stafford Arima, performances for Carrie begin January 31, 2012, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). The official opening night is set for March 1, 2012.

Based on Stephen King's bestselling novel, the musical of Carrie hasn't been seen since its legendary 1988 Broadway production. Now, the show's original authors have joined with director Stafford Arima (Altar Boyz) and MCC Theater for a newly reworked and fully re-imagined vision of this gripping tale. Set today, in the small town of Chamberlain, Maine, Carrie features a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (screenwriter of the classic film), music by Academy Award winner Michael Gore (Fame, Terms of Endearment), and lyrics by Academy Award winner Dean Pitchford (Fame, Footloose). The cast will be led by Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie (Next to Normal, Kiss Me Kate) as Carrie's evangelical mother, Margaret White, and Molly Ranson (Jerusalem, August: Osage County) as the lonely, vengeful, yet fragile girl at the center of it all.

Individual tickets for Carrie are priced at $89 with premium tickets available. Go to www.mcctheater.org for more information.

MCC Theater recently celebrated its 25th anniversary season as one of New York City's leading Off Broadway theater companies, committed to presenting New York and world premieres each season. When MCC Theater was founded in 1986, its mission was simple: to bring new theatrical voices to theater-going audiences. MCC Theater continues to accomplish this yearly through three programmatic areas: its mainstage works; its Playwrights’ Coalition, which actively seeks and develops new and emerging writers; and its Education & Outreach Programs, including the Youth Company, which allow more than 1,200 students yearly to experience theater, increase literacy and discover their own voices through the creation of original theater pieces. Notable MCC Theater highlights include: the 2008 Tony Award-nominated reasons to be pretty by Neil LaBute, last season’s The Pride, Fifty Words, the 2004 Tony-winning production of Bryony Lavery’s Frozen; Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig;Rebecca Gilman’s The Glory of Living; Marsha Norman’s Trudy Blue; Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit; Tim Blake Nelson’s The Grey Zone and Alan Bowne’s Beirut. Over the years, the dedication to the work of new and emerging artists has earned MCC Theater a variety of awards.